Progress(1)

A month later

Swoosh!

The boy had made significant progress since the start of his training and was able to finally dodge each attack the stranger made. 

"We're gonna be moving onto the next course of training: Power augmentation training!"

The boy appeared in front of the stranger and kneeled onto the ground. The boy was showing his respect toward his master and finally recognized the true meaning behind his training.

"You see that tree? I want you to keep punching it while I attack you. You need to process multiple things simultaneously, if you're gonna be dodging and attacking at the same time."

"Yes, master."

The tree was massive and covered in the boy's blood from previous attempts to master his skill. This tree was always absorbing the boy's blood, thus reinforcing its base, height and diameter.

Bang!

A full powered attack from the boy didn't create a dent into the tree. Instead the boy's hand was broken and blood came from his hand due to the tiny spikes on the tree.

"Each time you don't create a dent, you have to get down and give me a thousand pushups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, and a twenty mile sprint." The stranger stated.

"Yes, master!" The boy got down and began to start his penalty.

'This boy is something else… I wonder if he'll learn how to augment his power within a month… he's a one in a billion prodigy!'

…

Somewhere within the world

"Let's bring these back and accept another question!" A girl shouted.

"We need to rest, otherwise we'll be fatigued." Another girl responded.

"Lexi is right, we can't continue going, Sophie." A boy spoke.

"Fine, but we'll only rest for a few hours." Sophie responded, dejected.

Swoosh!

A mysterious figure appeared in the center of the group. This figure was Echo, one of the four people that Jack sent with the groups.

"Sophie, you must prioritize your teammates above anything else, otherwise you could get them all wiped out, including you." Echo spoke.

"I know, but if we're struggling to kill Mid-F ranked to Peak-F ranked beasts then how will we catch up to Sebastian or Lycaon?" Sophie questioned.

"You can't compare yourself to Lycaon. He's a prodigy and royalty while Sebastian grows faster than any normal werewolf. You're comparing yourself to prodigies that are one in a billion while the rest of you are one in a million." 

Sophie clearly didn't like Echo's reply as she ran away while Echo was shaking her head.

"She's always like that so she'll be back." The boy told Echo.

"Want to follow her, James?" Echo asked.

James left without answering Echo's question as the area they were in was infested with many beasts. Approaching Sophie's location, James saw her battling two beasts by herself.

Zap!

A massive lightning bolt struck one of the beasts while the other charged forward. Forming a spear with lightning, she struck toward the beast's neck and paralyzed its entire body.

"Why do they have special privileges?! Why can't we have the same privileges like them?! Sebastian gets special training while Lycaon's group gets to take on harder quests due to his power!" 

James could relate to Sophie as they hadn't really experienced much difficulty like Lycaon or Sebastian but he could understand why. They were given weaker quests since they were weaker than them and the military always prioritized power.

Unbeknownst to James, he was being stalked by a Shadow Leopard and was ready to pounce on him. 

Bang!

Sophie had disappeared from her spot and appeared next to the Shadow Leopard. James turned around and saw Sophie holding the beast in the sky with her lightning spear.

"Rule number one: Always be on guard, otherwise you'll die." Sophie stared at James.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's regroup with the rest and explain we're ready to take on the next level."

…

A different group

"Kill the king!" A boy shouted.

"Lycaon, be careful! The king has been known to self-destruct itself, if necessary!"

The beast Lycaon's group is fighting is a baby Raiju of the Legendary Thunder Lord, Raiju. Although it's a baby, the Raiju has full control of its power and has a hundred percent affinity toward lightning related elements.

Zap!

Bang!

"Madison!" Lycaon shouted.

A large lightning bolt struck Madison and left a large crater in her place. The sudden attack took everyone by surprise and the watcher, Kilo, was shaking their head.

"It seems like your max is Mid-E Ranked beasts." Kilo spoke.

"Jason, back me up here!" Lycaon shouted.

A wall of vines erected from the ground and shot toward the baby Raiju, in an attempt to distract the beast. The attack made the beast become defensive and block all of his attack.

While everyone was distracting the beast, a certain individual was chanting their spell and a powerful one at that.

"Void Magic: Void Demon!" A girl shouted.

A small portal opened and a small demon came walking out. The demon's presence caused the Raiju to become hostile and charge toward the demon.

Bang!

The demon stopped the Raiju in its tracks and slammed it into the ground. The slam made a crater into the ground and caused the Raiju to recent minor injuries.

Rahh!

The Raiju locked eyes with the girl and she did the same thing back toward the Raiju. The Raiju began to charge toward the girl until a brightening light came from the sky, causing the Raiju to become blind temporary.

"Light Magic: Blinding Sword!" Madison shouted.

With a simply thrust, Madison's sword penetrated the Raiju's hide and caused internal bleed.

"Blood Magic: Crimson Blades!" Another girl shouted.

The blood from the Raiju formed small daggers and shot toward the Raiju, causing distress. The Raiju let out a loud screech and another screech was heard from a long distance.

"That's the mother. You better kill the Raiju before she arrives and eliminates you from life." Kilo spoke.

"Space Magic: Repulsive Red." A small red ball shot out of Lycaon's finger at an incredible speed.

Bang! 

The Raiju was sent flying into multiple trees while the mother hastened her speed. The attack was strong enough to seriously injure the Raiju and a small hole was made in its body.

On the opposite side of the Raiju, blood could be seen splattered against multiple trees. The skill Lycaon used consisted of gravity manipulation and using the surrounding space. 

Within a few seconds, a massive lightning bolt struck the ground and a blue wolf with lightning surrounding its body appeared. 

Upon seeing its offspring bleeding out, the mother Raiju was angered and the sky was soon turned into stormy clouds. A simple lightning strike made a tree disappear and a huge crater was made.

"Seventy points out of a hundred. You could have killed it before the mother arrived but it'll do." Kilo spoke.

The surrounding area was instantly filled with a crimson aura, which was Kilo's killing intent. Suppressed by Kilo's killing intent, the mother Raiju froze in fear.

"It would be a waste for you to die so how about you come work for me? I'll ensure your child's survival, if you work under me."

Everyone was confused by Kilo speaking to the mother but then the mother spoke.

"You hunted my child and now you expect me to forgive you for that? Don't pity me, human!"

"You don't have a choice here. Either both of you die or both of you live. Time is ticking for your child."

"How can I be sure that my child will live? The damages to my child are irreversible!"

"That's if I had nature magic, but I have Beast Magic. My healing abilities only work on beasts tamed by me and boosts their natural healing temporarily."

Beast magic was a rare type of magic throughout the world and sought due to their abilities to tame any beast, as long as they were weaker than the user. If the user wanted, they could tame dragons, demonic beasts, and more other beasts.

"Beast magic?! Please! Heal my child and I'll serve you for the rest of my life." 

Kilo walked toward the fatally injured baby Raiju and put their hand onto its head. The baby Raiju felt a special power invade its body and began to heal at an abnormal rate.

A metal collar was formed around the mother and baby Raiju's neck, solidifying Kilo's control over the beasts. Kilo walked over to the beasts and broke the collars off their necks.

"I dislike that beast magic automatically forms a collar around their tamed beasts neck… I find it a bit extreme for beasts that are tamed. You may be free, but I'll call upon both of you when I need you so be ready for when I contact you through telepathy."

"What? You're allowing us to be free?"

"That's what I said. You may call upon me, if you need help with something. I have a special connection with beasts and I don't necessarily want to kill them unless their intelligence is low.

The mother and child flew into the skies and the stormy cloud disappeared as they left. 

"Kilo… I didn't know you cared for beasts like that." Madison spoke.

"Don't tell anyone about this or I'll find a way to embarrass you in front of your friends."